Session: Coming out in Camouflage: Strength, Resilience, Race, and Clinical Practice with LGBT Military and Veterans (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Background:Following the 2011 repeal of the U. S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy, LGBT veterans are increasingly coming to and coming out at, the Veterans Affairs (VA). Most VA clinicians have not been trained on LGBT veteran care and are unaware of the sparse literature describing this subpopulation of the U.S. Military. For clinicians accessing LGBT military and veteran research, a slanted discussion is available, primarily describing the population in terms of diagnoses, interpersonal abuse (e.g., Military Sexual Trauma) and institutionalized discrimination under anti-LGBT military policies (e.g. gay-related discharges) with scant discussion of clinical interventions or race and ethnicity.  This symposium explores the untold stories of LGBT military strength and resilience, investigates the impacts of race on LGBT veteran trauma survivors, and provides best practices for LGBT veteran group level interventions.

While little is known about LGBT military personnel, arguably the least is known about LGBT military of color. This symposium explores the intersectionality of race, sexual orientation and gender identity on veteran’s experiences with PTSD symptomology, combat exposure, military sexual trauma, and LGBT-related violence. Another under-discussed aspect of the LGBT military community is its history of strength and resilience, which is presented through a qualitative analysis of LGBT military personal narratives in social science research and film. Finally, this symposium also explores the successes and challenges of an LGBT veteran support group through analysis of intake and follow-up assessments.

Methodology:This symposium presents quantitative results of an online PTSD survey completed by LGBT Veterans (N=243), a qualitative analysis of LGBT military and veteran first-person accounts in auto-biographies, oral history projects, and documentary film through Narrative Therapy and Queer Theory (2010-2015), and a mixed method analysis of assessment forms completed by members of an LGBT Veteran group at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (N=85).          

Results:These studies begin to fill three gaps in researchers’ and clinicians’ emerging understandings of LGBT military regarding their strength and resilience, the intersectionality of race, and best practices for group level interventions. The PTSD study suggests the importance of considering race and ethnicity in research and practice with LGBT veterans.  The qualitative study of LGBT military adaptive strategies, concludes with suggestions for culturally affirming and strength-based care by addressing issues of identity integration, internalized stigma, and social isolation. Through intake assessments and feedback forms, LGBT veteran group members describe what was most helpful and what should be changed about the group, which the authors present as best practices for LGBT veteran group level interventions including logistical considerations, strategies to increase retention and diversity, and suggestions for tailoring existing interventions (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy and Motivational Interview) to LGBT veteran clients.

Conclusions/Implications: This symposium contributes to the research and growing clinical practice with LGBT military and veterans, offering an affirming representation of the population to clinicians in need of culturally specific clinical training, providing concrete suggestions for culturally affirming and strengths-based care, and offering suggestions to further research into the intersection of race, sexual orientation, trauma, and veteran mental health.